Can you winterfy just any road bike, which ones can you

[DePurpereWolf]

So, for a winter road bike, you would want to have full mudguards and thicker tyres.

But lots of road bikes seem to not have enough space for the mudguards because of the calliper brakes.
Can you have mudguards with calliper brakes? I guess you can have those clip on ones that stop near the calliper brakes, but that doesn't seem very sensible to me.

Also, lots of road bikes don't have enough spacing in the forefork to allow for thicker tyres.

If you want a winter road bike, are you limited to cyclocross frames with V-, or cantilever brakes? Or where do you have to look for in road bikes to be able to winterfy them...

[Lumen]

Best options are either clip-on mudguards (which are much better than nothing) or an audax/touring/winter trainer frame with clearance for mudguards and long-reach caliper brakes.

There are a good selection of bikes like this, depending on budget.

At the posh end, my choice would be a custom Enigma Esprit with mudguard clearance and eyelets. These are now made in the UK with a 2-3 month lead time.

Cheaper than that would be a Ribble Audax or similar.

Or something like a Giant Defy.

[ednwireland]

look for winter road bikes or audax frames most places have then, stuff like ribble winter training frame, kinesis do them as well (racelight tk and gran fondo)

my only road bike at the moment is a steel frame 25mm tyres and full sks mudguards bought as a commuter years ago (standard sora brakes as well work fine on it)

[Lumen]

Originally Posted by ednwireland

kinesis do them as well (racelight tk and gran fondo)

Had a Kinesis TK, lovely bike. Head tube a bit shortish.

[petethedrummer]

My Giant SCR takes 28C tyres comfortably. I use race blade mudguards and they are perfectly adequate. There are full mudguards available for it too. The lower end bikes generally have plenty of tolerance for things like this.

[Morgan]

Like you say, a lot (most?) modern road bikes can't be "winterified" properly. However, there are still plenty out there that can.

All you need are some mudguard eyelets and a bit more wheel clearance (often requiring longer-reach brakes).

e.g. Kinesis Racelight / Gran Fondo, Giant SCR (maybe Defy) etc.

Gary Fisher have a range of road bikes out this year with some neat touches - like removable mudguard eyelets:
http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/articl...d-launch-22559

[ednwireland]

not sure i'd put them on a carbon frame but remebered about these if you havent got mudguard eyes but clearance for a full guard.

http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/product-U...-Pair-5058.htm

[Turbulent Bill]

Why don't road bikes (as a rule) have eyelets for mudguards or pannier racks? I'm looking for a road bike for commuting and weekend spins, but very few have these. The Giant Defy is an exception (and even has its own custom full-length mudguards), but the various Focus, Canyon etc. models don't. You're stuck with audax or cyclocross frames, neither of which I want.

I'd understand that having eyelets on carbon frame would be tricky, but this should be a doddle on everything else.

[DePurpereWolf]

I don't really think it is the eyelets that is the problem, the fork is so close to the tyre that you can't put anything in between it. All for the sake of benig that much faster, lower air resistance, less weight, etc. etc.

I'm just trying to find out what to go for, an audax or tourer or winter road bike or cyclocross. The differences between them seem to be a bit blurry.

For a commuter bike I just can't go without mudguards in this country.

[BostonB]

my last pimping of charge bikes for the evening...
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/cycle/7/Ch...10/5360044279/

[Lumen]

Originally Posted by DePurpereWolf

I'm just trying to find out what to go for, an audax or tourer or winter road bike or cyclocross. The differences between them seem to be a bit blurry.

IMO audax will be racier than tourer, geometry-wise.

Cyclocross will have non-caliper brakes, which are definitely no way near as good as calipers.

Budget?

[Turbulent Bill]

Originally Posted by DePurpereWolf

I don't really think it is the eyelets that is the problem, the fork is so close to the tyre that you can't put anything in between it. All for the sake of benig that much faster, lower air resistance, less weight, etc. etc.

I'm just trying to find out what to go for, an audax or tourer or winter road bike or cyclocross. The differences between them seem to be a bit blurry.

For a commuter bike I just can't go without mudguards in this country.

The Defy mudguards are split either side of the fork, so interference isn't an issue. I don't know if third-party mudguards of this style are available, or if the Defy ones could be bodged onto any road bike.

My commute brings me past a waste recycling centre, where the trucks spew dirty water all over the road. Having that thrown up by the tyres ain't nice...

[Bambaata]

i just use my road bike all winter and pop on the SKS mudguards. its also on 23mm tyres and i got through all winter without any puncture and only 1 fall and the fall was a group fall where we all hit a fully iced over road. wide wheels wouldn't have done anything to prevent the spill.

[DePurpereWolf]

Budget is 1000 and a brick+morter shop in Ireland.

I'm either going for a race bike that can be winterfied, or a hybrid with internal gear hub.
(I know, to totally different bikes).

To be honest, I'd probably have the mudguards on most of the time, just as I have my rainpants with me all the time.

[blorg]

Originally Posted by Turbulent Bill

The Defy mudguards are split either side of the fork, so interference isn't an issue. I don't know if third-party mudguards of this style are available, or if the Defy ones could be bodged onto any road bike.

Those guards are very clever. They look like they could probably be fitted on any road bike (with the addition of P-Clips if you lack mudguard eyelets.)

As to why road bikes don't have eyelets, well if you are buying a road bike with the intention of racing you aren't going to use them anyway. Race Blades do actually work OK, not as good as full length but certainly OK for wet spins. I do have full length Chromoplastics on my commuter and tourer. To be honest it doesn't actually rain that much in winter anyway.

A lot of entry level racers DO have eyelets, the Trek 1 series is another example. There is no particular problem putting eyelets into carbon BTW, especially if it has metal dropouts as many bikes (including Trek Madones) do. I have eyelets on a carbon fork.

At the end of the day it comes down to what is the purpose of the bike I guess. Watch out with cross bikes, a lot of them DON'T have eyelets because again, if you are actually using them to race cross you wouldn't be using mudguards. Focus would be a good example of cross bikes aimed at cross racers that don't. Specialized take more of a wider market angle with the Tricross and it has eyelets.

Once you struggle to fit Chromoplastics I can assure you, you won't be removing them regularly all right

All audax bikes will take guards but €1,000 in a LBS in Ireland might not get you into this.